SANDIEGO350
Climate Change Action
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We believe we will not see the policies we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enacted as fully or rapidly as the science requires without a large, engaged movement of ordinary Americans demanding action from their elected officials. Our organization is working to build that movement in San Diego, in coordination with movement-building happening around the country. We mobilize San Diegans and build coalitions with partner organizations to take strategic, meaningful action to support climate solutions and prevent the worst impacts of climate change and climate injustice.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Public policy advocacy
Our public policy team works on key policy issues and climate solutions, including renewable energy, climate action plans, transportation, building electrification, food and soil and blocking fossil fuel projects.
We develop campaign strategy, form coalitions with other organizations, organize volunteers to participate in hearings, rallies, art builds and other events.
Recent achievements include:
- State legislation to create health and safety buffers (setbacks) around oil drilling sites
- Building electrification ordinances in 2 local cities, with more in progress
- SANDAG passing its most climate-centered transportation plan ever
- County of San Diego developing a Regional Decarbonization Framework
Public education and outreach
We raise awareness about the urgency of climate solutions and how people can help advance solutions. We present in schools, churches, clubs and libraries. We do outreach at fairs, farmers markets, and college campuses. Each year we educate and engage thousands of San Diego County residents to take a more active role in climate solutions.
Mobilizing San Diegans to take climate action
With more than 15 volunteer led teams and dozens of volunteering opportunities, we provide thousands of San Diegans with meaningful ways to take action on climate change every year. We support our volunteers with mentoring, training and peer learning opportunities. We also organize San Diego's largest climate mobilizations, including the 5,500 strong People's Climate March in April 2017, the 5,500 strong Youth Climate Strikes in 2019 for example.
Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice
We support and help to grow the San Diego Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice. We support development of creation care and green groups at congregations, offer free workshops to congregations throughout the county, and engage faith communities in key climate campaigns.
Building Youth Climate Leadership
We work with high school and college students to empower youth to take meaningful climate action. We provide training and coaching. We host annual Youth Climate Action Summits for high school and college students, offer internships, campaign teams, and support a regional coalition of high school and college Eco-Clubs.
Our Youth v. Oil campaign has succeeded in passing local resolutions to support phasing out fossil fuel drilling at the San Diego City Council and San Diego Unified School District.
Read more about our youth programs at https://youth4climate350.org.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
SanDiego350 is an inclusive volunteer organization building a movement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and climate injustice. We strive to create a future that supports a livable planet and just society through education and outreach, public policy advocacy and mobilizing people to take action.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have four main stragies. 1) Mobilizing volunteers for public actions that build political pressure and visibility, such as rallies and marches. 2) Advocating for good climate policies at the local and state level. We train members on policies, the political landscape and the advocacy process, turn members out at public hearings, meet with our elected representatives and work with coalition partners on key policy initiatives. 3) Educating the public about climate change, climate justice and climate solutions by tabling at fairs and festivals, presenting to classrooms, civic, faith and other groups, and producing articles, fact sheets and other materials. 4) Building coalitions with a wide range of partner organizations to ensure our work is as strategic and effective as possible. These partners include environmental, labor, faith, indigenous, health and social justice groups.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
SanDiego350 has an experienced core of volunteers who lead our work through our non-profit board, volunteer teams (including standing teams like our public policy team, action-planning team, interfaith team, presentation team, and coalition team, along with ad-hoc teams to do fundraising and other specific campaigns and actions) and individual volunteering opportunities. We have a full-time executive director, a full time volunteer coordinator and a part-time policy organizer who support our volunteers and teams. We have a mailing list of roughly 10,000 supporters in San Diego County. Our leaders develop resources and processes to embrace, train and support new members in order to develop their skills and leadership. Our relationships with partner organizations are also crucial to our work.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
SanDiego350 has organized all of San Diego's largest climate rallies and marches since 2011. In April of 2017, we led a coalition to mobilize of 5,500 people for the People's Climate March along the San Diego waterfront. SanDiego350, in partnership with allied organizations, successfully lobbied for the strong Climate Action Plan that was adopted by the city of San Diego. In 2018, SanDiego350 helped to defeat a proposed new natural gas pipeline in San Diego County and helped to launch the Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice. We are currently planning a "Rise for Climate" rally and march on September 8 of this year, which will be part of a global day of action. We continue being a part of coalitions advocating for better transportation policies and Community Choice Energy. We're in the process of building a legislative committee that will train and organize volunteers to lobby our state legislators on key climate bills. We plan to build our capacity by expanding our board, hiring an executive director and strengthening our volunteer and leadership development.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SANDIEGO350
Board of directorsas of 12/31/2022
Joyce Lane
Rebecca Rojas
Bill Wellhouse
Joshua Piedra
Toshihiko Ishihara
Keala Minna-Choe
Jim Miller
Paul Vachal
Joyce Lane
Sonja Robinson
Anita Martinez
Max Lebovitz
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/01/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.